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Gordon

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Coaching the Under

Front Defense

Coach Jerry Gordon has done a fantastic

job explaining the under front defense.
This book is an invaluable resource for
anyone who wants to coach this defense,
has to play against it, or just wants to learn
about it.
Chris Brown
Editor
Smart Football

Coaching the Under Front Defense is an

easy-to-understand manual for any coach
interested in learning and installing the
basics of this defense. Coach Gordon
provides detailed descriptions of the
techniques and reads required to be
successful at each position.
Tony DeMeo
Head Football Coach
University of Charleston
Coach Gordons scheme in Coaching the
Under Front Defense is very sound and
simple, something that is necessary in
order to get defenders to play fast. The
under front defense can adjust to every
offensive formation with ease, has a great
pressure package, and has the capability
to shut down any offensive scheme. This
book is a must read for any defensive coach
looking for a scheme that can defend the
run or the pass.
Doug Clarke
Head Football Coach
A.P.W. High School (NY)

$19.95

9 781606 790762

51995

Coaches Choice

ISBN 978-1-60679-076-2

Coaching the Under Front Defense

Jerry Gordons philosophy and scheme

related to the under front defense are
thorough, detailed, and complete. If you are
looking for answers in defending the wide
range of offenses that you will encounter
without slowing down your players, reading
Coaching the Under Front Defense will be
time well spent.
Andy Rondeau
Defensive Coordinator
Old Dominion University

Coaching the Under

Front Defense

Jerry Gordon

Coaching the
Under Front
Defense

Jerry Gordon

2010 Coaches Choice. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the prior permission of Coaches Choice. Throughout this book, the
masculine shall be deemed to include the feminine and vice versa.
ISBN: 978-1-60679-076-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009942314
Cover design: Brenden Murphy
Book layout: Studio J Art & Design
Front cover photo: Margaret Bowles/Cal Sport Media/ZUMA Press
Coaches Choice
P.O. Box 1828
Monterey, CA 93942
www.coacheschoice.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the players I have coached and all the coaches with whom
I have had the pleasure of coaching. Its been a wild, fun ride with plenty of ups and
downs. This book is also dedicated to my wife, Carol. Thanks for putting up with this
sickness we all have, coaching football.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge all the head coaches and defensive coordinators I have
worked with in the 20 years I have been coaching football: Dick Coury of the Boston
Breakers; Paul Pawlak of Northeastern University; Bob Pickett, Jim Reid, Mike Hodges,
Ted Roof and Jerry Azzinaro of the University of Massachusetts; Jack Siedlecki of Yale
University; Joe Dawe of Sandwich (MA) High School; and Scott Woodlief of Potomac
Falls (VA) High School. I have learned much from you. Thank you for putting up with
my many questions. I would also like to thank the many universities that have always
welcomed me and the other coaches that were with me when we visited you. There
are too many of you to mention, but I feel this generous sharing of information among
coaches is one of the best and unique aspects of the coaching profession.

Contents

Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Chapter 1: Philosophy and Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Chapter 2: Lining Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Chapter 3: Defensive Line Play in the Under Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Chapter 4: Linebacker Play in the Under Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Chapter 5: Defensive Back Play in the Under Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Chapter 6: The Under Defense Versus the Two-Back Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Chapter 7: The Under Defense Versus the One-Back Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Chapter 8: The Under Defense Versus the Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Chapter 9: Under Alignments and Stunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Chapter 10: Basic Under Man Blitzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Chapter 11: Basic Under Zone Blitzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Chapter 12: Goal Line Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Preface

The under defense has been around for a long time. I am not sure of the history of
the under defense. I have a University of Houston playbook written in the 1970s, so
it is at least older than that. Interestingly, in that playbook, there are some rudimentary
zone blitz diagrams. I didnt realize it at the time, but we played the under defense
when I was at college in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I think we called it the 52
split eagle. In any case, the defense has stood the test of time. It is not my intent to
introduce new concepts to the under front, but merely to have a convenient place to
find information about the subject. In my opinion, any defense comes down to
knowing your assignment, beating the man in front of you, running to the football, and
making a tackle. It is that simple.
Although I have been a college and high school coach for over twenty years, this
book is written from the perspective of a high school coach. This book is meant to
serve as a manual for other high school and youth coaches interested in implementing
the under defense to high school and youth players in America and abroad. Certainly
there are countless ways to play the under defense. This way is just the way my team
plays it. I have tried to make the terms and principles as simple as possible. It is my
hope that this book will be underlined, highlighted, and dog-eared like the football
books I keep next to my bed.

1
Philosophy and Organization

Play defensenot defenses. Every great defense is based on sound defensive

fundamentals taught by the coach and employed by the players. If you are not seeing
it on the field, you are not coaching it.
As most coaches might tell you, especially in high school football, the philosophy
of the defense is to stop the run first. Effectively stopping the run forces the offense to
be more one-dimensional and thus more predictable. As a coach decides what
defense his team will use as its base, he must think about what advantages and
disadvantages each defense inherently contains.

Advantages of the Under Defense

Man Advantage Around the Ball
Playing the under front allows the coach to always have more defenders than the
offense has possible blockers. If the offense has eight possible blockers, the defense
will have nine defenders close to the ball (Figure 1-1). If the offense has seven
possible blockers, the defense will have eight defenders, etc. (Figure 1-2). Having an
extra defender around the ball is imperative, especially with the emergence of the very
athletic running quarterback.

S E
C

W
R

Figure 1-1. The offense has eight possible blockers, including both halfbacks. The defense will
employ nine defenders around the ball, including the free and the Rover.

S E
C

N
M

W
R

Figure 1-2. The offense has presented the defense with a one-back formation with the potential
of seven possible blockers. The defense will employ eight men close to the ball. The Rover has
removed himself from the core of the defense.

Gap Control Defense

Each player is initially assigned only one gap. This gap is the one in which the player is
currently lined up in or over. There will not be any confusion as to which gap the
defender is responsible for. As shown in Figure 1-1, the Sam is responsible for the D
gap; the end is responsible for the C gap; the Mac is responsible for the B gap; the nose
is responsible for the A gap; the Will is responsible for the A gap; the tackle is responsible
for the B gap; and the Bandit is responsible for the C gap. Gaps can and will change
depending on the movement of the offense. Gap exchange is discussed in Chapter 6.

Only One Bubble

Many offensive coordinators like to attack the bubbles in a defense. Bubbles are natural
holes a defense presents in their original alignment. The under front only has one
bubble (Figure 1-3). The 3-4 defense presents two bubbles (Figure 1-4). The 4-3
defense presents three bubbles for an offensive coordinator to attack (Figure 1-5).

S E

Figure 1-3. The bubble is over the Mac.

S E

Figure 1-4. The bubbles are over the Mac and the Will.

T
S

N
M

E
W

Figure 1-5. The bubbles are over the Mac, the Will, and the Sam.

Tandems
The under defense has two adjacent outside shade players next to each other at each
edge of the defense. This formation gives the defense a tremendous advantage against
teams that try to get outside or try to block down and kick out.
Having two adjacent players at the outside of the defense makes it difficult for the
offense to execute two reach blocks in a row to gain an advantage on outside running
plays such as outside zone or toss sweep (Figure 1-6).

S E

N
M

Figure 1-6. Two reach blocks

Having two adjacent players means that any attempt to double and kick out can
be swiftly defeated because of the proximity of the next defender. The presence of the
defender makes it more difficult for the offense to run such plays as counter, lead, or
power (Figure 1-7).

S E

N
M

T
W

Figure 1-7. Double-team and kick-out block

10

Highly Flexible
The under defense is highly flexible, allowing you to play with three or four down
linemen. The Bandit (the weak defensive end) can play in a three-point stance or a
two-point stance, depending on your personnel or depending on the down and
distance. This alignment also gives you more options in a substitution package if you
choose to substitute.
The under defense also affords you the option of flip-flopping as many of your players
as you feel necessary. Many teams will flip-flop the whole defense. In this book, the defense
flip-flops only the Mac and the Will, and the Sam and the Rover. However, in the under front,
the only rule is that the Sam and the Rover must be on opposite sides of the center.
Fast Play
The under front allows the defense to play fast when two backs are in the backfield.
This alignment forces the offensive lineman to come off double-teams and
combination blocks quickly. Once an offensive lineman comes off a double-team
quickly, it allows the defensive line to become more of a factor in defending the run.
Due to the nature of the coverage, which will be explained in Chapter 8, it is difficult
for the linebacker to be wrong as long as he is attacking an open playside gap. It is up
to the secondary players behind him to make him right.
Few Adjustments
There is very little adjusting once the defense is aligned. The amount of adjusting the
defense does is proportionate to how close the defenders are to the line of scrimmage,
meaning that defensive backs are asked to do more adjusting than defensive linemen.
Once the defensive line puts their hands to the ground, they do not move them. The
only time a linebacker would have to adjust from his normal alignments is when the
offense motions into a trips formation, and then only in a double-call defense. The
secondary will make all the strength adjustments.

The 10 Commandments of Defense

Every defense, including the under, has certain principles that cannot be violated in
order to play sound defense. The principles can and should be used with any defensive
structure you employ.
Assignment
Alignment
Stance and start

11

Hands and eye placement

Low hip and pad leverage
Awareness of the situation
Shed
Relentless pursuit
Tackle
Effort, effort, effort

What is interesting about this list is that only shed, pursuit, and tackling require any
real athletic ability. The other seven do not rely so much on athletic ability as the desire
to learn and to hustle.

Terminology and Definitions

S E
C

N
M

W
R

Figure 1-8. Player terminology

Player Terminology
Players are designated as follows in Figure 1-8:
S = Sam: An outside linebacker that aligns to the tight end.
E = End: The defensive end that is aligned on the same side as the Sam.
N = Nose: The defensive tackle that is aligned on the same side as the Sam.
T = Tackle: A defensive tackle that is aligned away from the Sam.
B = Bandit: The defensive end that is aligned away from the Sam.
M = Mac: A linebacker that aligns to the side of the Sam.
W = Will: A linebacker that always lines up away from the Sam.

12

 R = Rover: A defensive back that always lines up away from the Sam.
F = Free: A safety that is not tied into the front, which is why he is called free.
C = Corners: Defensive backs that line up left and right. Many coaches have a field
and boundary corner or have one corner follow a particular receiver out of the
huddle.
Note: Defensive tackles and ends are given different names, depending on their
alignment, for the sake of clarity and teaching purposes.
Technique Definitions
Techniques are used to describe how a player lines up on an offensive lineman. When
a zero is added to the technique, it means that the player is on the linebacker level or
second level of play. For instance, a 3 technique would mean that the player would
line up outside shade of the guard. A 30 technique would be on the outside shade of
the guard but at linebacker level (Figure 1-9).
Shade technique: Shade of the center.
0 technique: Head up on the center.
2 technique: Head up on the guard.
2i technique: Inside shade of the guard.
3 technique: Outside shade of the guard.
4 technique: Head up on the tackle.
4i technique: Inside shade of the tackle.
5 technique: Outside shade of the tackle.
6 technique: Head up on the tight end.
7 technique: Inside shade of the tight end.
9 technique: Outside shade of the tight end.

S E

N
M

Figure 1-9. The Sam is in a 9 technique; the end is in a 5 technique; the bandit is in a 5 technique;
the nose is in a shade technique; the tackle is in a 3 technique; the Mac is in a 30 technique; and
the Will is in a 20 technique.

13

Gap Designations (Figure 1-10)

A Gap: Between the center and the guard.

B Gap: Between the guard and the tackle.
C Gap: Between the tackle and the tight end, outside the tackle versus no tight end.
D Gap: Outside the tight end.

Figure 1-10. Gap designations

Receiver Designations (Figure 1-11)

#1: The first receiver of the formation, counting outside in.
#2: The second receiver of the formation, counting outside in.
#3: The third receiver of the formation, counting outside in.

#2

#3

#1
#1

#2

Figure 1-11. Receiver designations

14